What is it to be a mother?  We are the mainstay of a child’s life, from conception until birth.  We nurture them, love them, scold them, guide them, love them, teach them, pray for them, pray with them, hold them, hug them, doctor them, wash them, feed them, cloth them and love them some more.

We also learn to wipe tears, bottoms, hands and faces.  We learn to let them learn from mistakes, we watch them get hurt and hold them when they cry.  We teach them about love and God.

We hold their hands when they need it and let go when they are ready, even if we are not!

We hold our breathe at first steps, then applaud.  We cry at baptism and pray for them..we beam at 1st Holy Communion and pray for them some more.  We cry at their wedding…and wish them luck as we let them go.

As moms, we are strong and loving, we are firm and gentle, we are soft and sometimes harsh, but always loving.  We pray for more patience, and pray that we have taught them enough.

But most importantly, we are to be as much like our Mother Mary as possible…loving unconditional for our children and our God.  Always trusting in HIM to know what is right for Them! 

So as this day closes, remember what your mothers did for you..your earthly mother cared for you and prayed for you and loved you…and your Heavenly Mother did the same.  Let us try to remember them both on this day of Honour for Mothers everywhere!

“Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee

Blessed Art Thou amongst women and blessed is the fruit of thy Womb, Jesus

Holy Mary, Mother of GOD, Pray for us Now and at the Hour of our Death! AMEN!”

 No…it’s not just a shameless plug for my own site..although I am on there!    I have looked at and listed many wonderful sites..I do hope you find at least one that is useful to you!    Other than my own website, I do NOT have any affiliation with these websites and have not done business with them..so please, check each site, contact and ask questions!  Be aware of who you are buying from!  Don’t be afraid to ask for references! 

 (my shameless plug for myself!)

 http://www.holyhillbillycreations.com  Who says modesty can’t be fun?  Specializing in unique and completely customized modest clothing for women, girls and dolls!  We also feature many wonderful accessories as well! 

 http://jmjmodestdress.com/dresses.htm  Ladies and girls dresses, aprons, bonnets and more!

http://www.lffa-ollmpc.com/ihm/index.html  Beautiful Mantillas

http://www.halo-works.com/  Mantillas, prayer books, crucifixes and much more! 

 http://www.modestyveils.com/  Veils and Mantillas..also some references to tradition and church history.

http://www.swimmodest.com/  Beautiful and Modest swimsuits!  Not like what’s in department stores!

http://www.colleenhammond.com/resources.html  Tons of resources here!

http://www.achristianhome.org/ModestFeminine/ModestyFeminine AttireIndex.htm  There are many good resources here, but I must mention that some are not Catholic..the clothing is beautiful.

 Most of us have, and I had one this week!  Let me tell you about it!

 In the last week or so, I have felt a very strong pull to explore headcoverings..not just for mass, but for everyday life.  I still am not sure I’m being pulled to actually wear them, but I am being very STRONGLY directed to learn about them!  LOL!

 Anyway, the other day I was feeling this pull very, very strongly and typed the search query into Google  “Catholics and headcoverings”.  Well, the results of my find on the actual information I was looking for were mixed and rather disappointing.  But the results of my overall search were not!

I read an article that sounded a bit protestant to me, and yet checked out the links at the bottom..one link led to another and before I knew it I had found a very interesting article which led to other articles and answered many of the questions I had been searching for.

The first article was from the Fatima Crusader.  The article was titled Modesty In Dress

It was a very eye opening article about some of the reasons why you don’t find any current information about the modesty movement. 

Our Lady of Fatima stressed that “Certain fashions will be introduced which will offend My Son very much.”   Looking at the state of dress (or undress) in today’s society, I believe that Our beloved Lady was very, very correct. 

 The question remains, what shall we do about it?  I asked our priest..”Is today’s society so far gone and jaded to this state of undress that we won’t be able to affect change?”  He answer was a very empathatic NO!  All things are possible with Faith!  He did stress that in order for me to make a change..even a tiny one..that change has to come from inside my heart.

 So, what’s in my heart?  Am I really convinced and commited to being modest..in all aspects of my life?  Am I really prepared for the sacrifices, the condemnation, the ridicule that will come with standing up for my beliefs?  Cassandra says on her website:  “Being Catholic today is like having a bull’s eye painted on your chest during hunting season”.  She is so right, it’s scary!

So the answer to my own questions…a firm and resolute “YES”.  I am at peace with the direction God has pointed me and I will follow it to the best of my ability, with his Grace and Love!

So my question now, what’s in your heart?  Don’t you deserve better?   Don’t your children deserve to be respected for who they are? 

 Next post, I’ll have a whole list of links to various websites on both modesty and where to find modest clothing!

Until next time..peace be with you! 

Was I wrong? Was I right?  Well both, sort of! LOL!

Let me explain: Look at the women of the mid to late 1800’s..did they wear pants? Did they hold men’s jobs?  What did the community think of those that didn’t dress appropriately?  Ladies wore dresses, they tended their homes and families, to wear anything inappropriate (low cut, men’s wear, etc) labeled them either as a “women of ill-repute” or as a “strange women in need of no help”.

Today, what does the general public think of women in general?  Women are disrespected on a daily basis, we are given inappropriate clothing and we tell our young daughters that this is the “top of fashion”. 

Why do we do that?  Why do we encourage short skirts, shorts, tank tops, bikinis, thongs, tight jeans, low cut blouses or dresses, backless clothing, sheer clothes, etc?  When did we lose the little voice that says “this is not right”?

Satan acts on us everyday, but we can fight back.  In today’s society of “status quo” and the constant battle to be “fashionable and Popular”, Satan is gleeful..he’s jumping up and down with joy!  We are not hearing the quiet voice of our Lord and our Blessed Mother Mary tell us that this is NOT right!

The Blessed Mother at Fatima said, “Certain fashions will be introduced which will offend My Son very much.  More people will go to Hell because of sins of the flesh than for any other reason.”

Was she right?  YES! ABSOLUTELY!  Go out in any town, and sadly, in any church (Catholic or not) and you will find the most inappropriate clothing on women.

The danger of this is not just to the soul of the women, but also to the men..for when they see a women half clothed or dressed in suggestive clothing, Satan wins their thougts..he fills their minds with damaging, lustfull thoughts.  What are we thinking?  As Christian brothers and sisters, we have an obligation to protect not only our own souls, but to do NO harm to anyone elses by our words or deeds!

Deuteronomy 22:5 says: “A woman shall not wear an article proper to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s dress; for anyone who does such things is an abomination to the Lord, your God.

So what is modesty? How do we dress modestly? Well, first of all, examine your conscience..you can’t make full changes and hold to them if you can’t stand up to the “ridicule and snobbish remarks”.

To be a modestly dressed woman you should:

Choose dresses that hide the shape of the body, not accentuate it. Dresses should cover the knees when sitting, Blouses should not be low cut, tight or sleeveless. Make sure buttons don’t gap and that you can’t see your bra in the mirror.  Start with the obvious things first…ask your husband..if you saw this on a women on the street..what would you think?  If it’s not a wholesome thought, then chances are..all those strangers that see you on the street think the same thing! 

When dressing your little girl, I have found that long shorts (to the knee) work very well to cover her little behind when she is playing and tumbling as small children will.  As she grows, the behavior should become more ladylike and will require the shorts less and less. 

Modesty is not just about dress though..it is also about behavior.  You must act like a lady, in bearing and language and posture.  Sit with your ankles crossed and knees together, speak softly and firmly, not loudly and obnoxiously.  Act the way your grandmother or great grandmother probably acted.

Bear in mind that the Virgin Mary is a good example to use in both dress and behavior, properly covered and submissive to the Lord! Don’t you wish we could all be just a little like her?

Until my next post, May the Peace of the Lord be with you!